Rey Nambatac shone brightly in the endgame as Rain or Shine toppled San Miguel, 87-83, to begin its 2020 PBA Philippine Cup journey on the right foot Tuesday at the Angeles University Foundation Sports and Cultural Center in Pampanga.
The gunslinging point guard sank a bail-out triple with 12.4 seconds left to expand a precarious one-point lead to four, 85-81. That also doused a furious rally by the defending, five-time All-Filipino champions.
That was Nambatac’s only field goal, though. He finished with four points, seven rebounds, and four assists to help the Elasto Painters shoot down the Beermen’s bid of seizing the early lead in the shortened conference.
“Knowing San Miguel, they will always fight ’til the end, but we got the win probably because Rey hit a big three-point shot to give us a four-point lead,” said head coach Caloy Garcia post-game.
Javee Mocon led Rain or Shine with 25 points, equaling his career-high which he set in a 100-96 loss to Blackwater in Game 2 of their 2019 Commissioner’s Cup best-of-three quarterfinal clash. He also had six boards.
The sophomore already had 12 points in the first quarter alone. He led the Elasto Painters’ scorching 16-0 start into the game — which, according to league stats chief Fidel Mangonon III, is the best start in franchise history.
“When we got him, we really expected him to play like that since last year. He always plays with effort. Lumalaban lagi. He doesn’t stop. And he’s a winner. He’s a born winner,” Garcia said of the sophomore.
Rain or Shine appeared to have gained full control with the scoring blast, but San Miguel crawled out of the deep hole. The Beermen even eventually led by a point, 39-38, after a Russel Escoto dunk with 3:16 to go in the second.
The Beermen immediately lost the lead, though, and it worsened for them come the third canto. The Elasto Painters unloaded 14 unanswered points en route to a 65-51 advantage with 1:27 on the clock.
But SMB didn’t back down, making a last-ditch effort in the final chapter and slowly chipping at the deficit. Mo Tautuaa and Terrence Romeo then nailed triples to make it a one-point game, 81-82, with 27.3 seconds left.
And then Nambatac happened.
Romeo made a jumper with 1.8 seconds left, but there wasn’t enough time. Mocon then sealed the deal as he converted both of his charities.
“It’s a good test right away because we’re playing against the number one team and maybe we can gauge ourselves how good we are or how in shape we are. And I’m happy about how we played,” Garcia said.
Guard Kris Rosales also made his presence felt in the thrilling victory with 15 points and six rebounds. Meanwhile, veteran center Beau Belga contributed 12 markers and also collected six caroms.
Marcio Lassiter led San Miguel with 20 points in the loss that brought the Beermen’s record to 1-1. SMB got its first win in the season opener last March 8 versus two-time Philippine Cup runners-up Magnolia Hotshots.
Alex Cabagnot supplied 18 points, becoming the fifth active player in league history to score 8,000 career points, He achieved the milestone after hitting his first triple of the game in the first quarter.
Both teams will jump back into action on Friday, Oct. 16. Rain or Shine looks to make it back-to-back versus Terrafirma at 4:00 p.m., while San Miguel aims to bounce back versus TNT at 6:45 p.m.
The Scores:
Rain or Shine 87 – Mocon 25, Rosales 15, Belga 12, Borboran 9, Onwubere 6, Nambatac 4, Torres 4, Norwood 3, Doliguez 2, Wong 0, Yap 0.
San Miguel 83 – Lassiter 20, Cabagnot 18, Tautuaa 17, Romeo 11, Gamalinda 5, Ross 4, Mamaril 3, Santos 2, Escoto 2, Pessumal 1, Zamar 0, De Guzman 0.
Quarterscores: 25-20; 46-41; 67-54; 87-83.
